After an overnight upgrade that makes it possible for Elon Musk’s social media network to evade the Supreme Court’s ban, it is once again accessible to a large number of users in Brazil.
According to a group of internet providers, Elon Musk’s X social network oversaw an automatic update on phone apps that enabled it to get over a restriction in Brazil.
After a lengthy legal dispute with Musk last month, a Supreme Court judge ordered the network, once known as Twitter, to be shut down. Some Brazilian users were taken aback to discover that they could once again access the platform on their phones on Wednesday.
According to the Brazilian Association of Internet and Telecommunications Providers (ABRINT), a change to the Cloudflare software, which employs dynamic IP addresses, was the reason for X’s reappearance.
The prior approach made use of unique IP addresses, which are easier to block and function as a server or computer’s home address.
The modifications “make blocking the app much more complicated,” according to ABRINT.
A lot of the dynamic IPs “are shared with other legitimate services, such as banks and large internet platforms, making it impossible to block an IP without affecting other services,” according to the organization.
According to ABRINT, “internet providers are in a delicate position,” and they are awaiting technical study and guidance from Brazil’s telecoms agency.
Musk was enraged by Brazil’s closure of X, which sparked a heated discussion about the boundaries of social media and freedom of speech both inside and beyond the nation.
In Brazil, there are about 22 million users of the social media platform. Millions of users have abandoned the platform since the ban, switching to Threads and Blusky as substitutes.
In Brazil on Wednesday, one of the most popular hashtags was “Twitter is back”.
ongoing conflict
Last month, Judge Alexandre de Moraes banned X after Musk disobeyed his orders to delete dozens of right-wing accounts and then neglected to designate a new legal representation in the nation.
Since he made it his goal to combat misinformation, Moraes and the millionaire, who was born in South Africa, have had many disagreements.
He mandated last week that $3 million be transferred from Musk’s businesses to cover X’s penalty.
In order to guarantee that X pays the fines levied against it for disobeying court orders, Moraes also seized the assets of X and Starlink, which has been operating in Brazil since 2022, particularly in isolated areas in the Amazon.
In response to the suspension, Musk became enraged, labeling Moraes a “dictator” and disparaging the judge in posts to his 198 million X followers.
Additionally, Moraes mandated that users of virtual private networks (VPNs) and other “technological subterfuges” to gain access to the prohibited website risk fines of up to $9,000.
The embargo was welcomed by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Jair Bolsonaro, his far-right predecessor, was adamantly opposed to it and applauded the technological adjustment that allowed X to return online. He posted on the platform, saying, “I congratulate all those who have pushed to defend democracy in Brazil.”
